I must say as I start typing this blog post, I AM PUMPED! I participated in an Illinois Farm Families social media & networking webinar back in early January (when I started typing this post). I really use the term "participated" VERY lightly because I had 2 sick kids - my husband and my 5 year old daughter! For those of you that know me - I kind of have 3 kids (insert sarcasm)! I was watching and reading the presentation, but had tractors farming all around me and milk being spilled on my lap and to top it off, I couldn't get the sound to work on join.me app! Mission accomplished for the presenters because I was stoked to write my next blog and all I did was catch slides here and there! That's effectiveness!
Now on to the title of this post and the whole point of how I have got to this point in my life...
It was around December 3rd and I started to seriously wonder what I was going to buy my Dad for Christmas. He is the hardest person to buy for because most generally, if he needs something (tools, gloves, work boots, etc.) he will just go buy it! More power to you Dad, but throw me a bone and give me some ideas! After talking to my Mom, we decided to shop around for a pair of nice square toe cowboy boots (I know, my Dad is way cool, huh?) for him and just split it three ways between the two of us and my sister and her husband! Piece of cake. Long story short - he wears size 14 and square toe boots are next to impossible to just go out and buy. Back to square one (aka Amazon.com) I go! By the way, before I go any farther, if you haven't discovered Amazon Smile - it is amazing. No purchase necessary here, just buy the STUFF you normally would on Amazon, BUT a portion of every sale from certain products goes to the charity of your choice. I chose St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital. How cool is that?
Back to my story...
My Dad used to read - A LOT! So I start browsing the books. Books about John Wayne and the West and books by author Louis L'amour! No such luck - I am quite sure he has already read each of the ones I looked at - twice! And then I see the "For the Farmer in All of Us: An American Portrait" by Paul Harvey. No more searching & wondering. That was all over because to me this was THE book he needed. After I wrote a note to him about how grateful I was for his dedication to agriculture and being an American Farmer, there was no other gift more suitable! This book - composed mainly of amazing photographs of American Farmers, the products of their toil, their families, their livelihood - was my Dad. It was everything I grew up knowing about my Grandpa Bud, my Dad, our extended family, our neighbors, our 4-H family, our county fair friends and many others. And of course how could I leave out my Granny & my Mom! They are the epitome of a farm wife/mom!
These people and the values instilled in me are the reason I get emotional when talking to others about my childhood and how I became the person I am today. They are the reason I love doing those very same things myself - pulling a calf at 6:00 am before going to work, cleaning calving pens, sledding in the pasture on a Sunday after the "priority" chores are done or going to our close friends' annual production sale just to support them!
 |
My daughter with a little heifer calf.
This heifer is actually due to calve anytime! |
 |
| My son - doing what boys do! |
On that note, I'll finish by saying THANK YOU to anyone who ever had an influence on me as I was growing up. Agriculture will ALWAYS be a huge part of who I am and for that I am eternally grateful! Happy National Ag Day - #AgDay2015 #ThankAFarmer
Labels: ag, agchat, AgDay2015, beef, beefcattle, Christmas, farm, farmer, livestock
